Getty Images CeeDee Lamb's contract situation with the Cowboys is expected to be wrapped up by Week 1.
If CeeDee Lamb isn’t on the field for the Dallas Cowboys‘ opener, it would be “utterly stupid,” according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter.
The Cowboys and Lamb are locked in a tense contract standoff. The 25-year-old star is holding out, pushing for a new deal that reflects his desire to be compensated as one of the league’s elite receivers.
Lamb is slated to earn $17.9 million next season on the final year of his rookie deal. The high mark for wide receivers was set in the offseason by Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson, who earns $35 million per year on his new deal.
Schefter doesn’t think the sides are too far apart and believes a deal will get done ahead of Week 1.
“It would be a huge upset if CeeDee Lamb is not there for the start of the regular season,” Schefter said on Monday, August 12 on NFL Live. “Now I don’t know whether they can bridge the differences, which aren’t that much, this week or next week or the week after. But this deal’s going to get done.”
Trending Rumor Points to CeeDee Lamb Landing Lucrative Extension
Getty ImagesCeeDee Lamb is looking for a lucrative extension and has not reported to Cowboys training camp.
Schefter went one step further when describing the situation in Dallas with Lamb, noting that it shouldn’t be as complicated as it has been.
“It would be shocking and utterly stupid if it did not get done in time for the start of the regular season,” Schefter said. “It’s disappointing that it went on as long as it did but the fact that they can’t get this deal done is hard to imagine. He’s got one year left on his deal. Everybody knew it was coming. We know what the number should be. It should be simple to get done. And the full expectation is it will get done and it will get done in time for the start of the regular season. So this is just a lot of noise until then.”
The rant from Schefter came on the same day that a new Lamb extension rumor emerged from the now-notorious X account @PrettyRickey213. The anonymous but surpisingly accurate “insider” tweeted that Lamb’s saga with the Cowboys is nearing its end.
“As the NFL world waits on the Brandon Aiyuk situation, Rickey can confirm the Cowboys have offered CeeDee Lamb a four year contract worth $33.5 million per year. I would be surprised if this isn’t resolved soon,” the account wrote.
Only time will tell if that ends up being true, but it could also be a pretty accurate guess. It would make Lamb the second-highest paid receiver in the league, behind only Jefferson.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Clarifies Stance on Lamb
Getty ImagesCowboys owner Jerry Jones clarified his stance on CeeDee Lamb.
The Cowboys, particularly owner Jerry Jones, have mishandled the negotiations with Lamb. Jones recently had to clarify a remark where he mentioned he didn’t feel an “urgency” to resolve the situation with Lamb.
“I think I got in trouble the other day when I said, ‘Look, we’re not urgent about CeeDee,'” Jones said on August 11. “Well, no one appreciates CeeDee being on the field any more than I do. But let me say this: He wouldn’t be taking a snap out here today if he’d been here for [training camp].
“You gotta use your head when you expose key players. That gives the other younger players a chance to do it. We know exactly what CeeDee can do, and he’s worked out with Dak. So we wouldn’t have him out here. It has really not anything to do with his contract.”
The Cowboys open the regular season on September 8 against the Cleveland Browns. They’ll hope to have Lamb in uniform when they take the field.
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